Month: September 2020

The Kremlin on Friday said Russia’s ability to probe opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s suspected poisoning was “limited” and accused his aides of taking potential evidence out of the country. Members of Navalny’s team said Thursday that German experts found Novichok, a Soviet-designed nerve agent, on a water bottle taken from the Siberian hotel room where…

The Moscow Metro is expected to roll out what City Hall says will be the world’s first fare payment system based on facial recognition starting next spring. Moscow’s Deputy Mayor in charge of transportation Maxim Liksutov said in a weekly column Friday that Muscovites are “no longer impressed” by the ever-expanding contactless options for paying…

Russian pop stars have teamed up with their fellow artists from Belarus to record a patriotic music video in support of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who has faced unprecedented protests since his disputed re-election last month. The music video, titled “Artists for Peace – Don’t Give Away Your Loved One,” was uploaded to Belarusian singer…

Two Russian-made coronavirus treatment drugs have been cleared for pharmacy sale, allowing for widespread at-home treatment of the infection, the Health Ministry announced in a statement to the state-run RIA-Novosti news agency Thursday.  Both drugs are Russia-manufactured variants of favipiravir, the generic version of an anti-flu medication developed by Japan’s Fujifilm. Clinical trials of the…

A pair of Russian soldiers have been detained on charges of offending religious believers after they washed their shoes in holy water, Interfax reported Thursday.  In a video that went viral this weekend, two young men can be seen laughing as they wash their shoes at a chapel next to the Cathedral of Christ the…

Update: Belarus’ borders remained open Friday after President Alexander Lukashenko announced they would be closed. The country’s border guard service said on its Telegram channel that “checks have been stepped up” and “tactical reinforcements have been deployed,” but that “checkpoints are permitting people to enter and leave.” Belarus will close its borders with Poland and Lithuania…

Russian opera star Anna Netrebko said on Thursday she had contracted coronavirus and was in hospital with pneumonia after performing at the Bolshoi Theater’s post-lockdown opening show. The singer’s illness comes as two top Russian theatres have suffered outbreaks of the virus shortly after reopening, raising fears over the safety of performers. The 48-year-old soprano…

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has transferred his youngest son to an elite boarding school in Moscow amid ongoing protests against his disputed re-election, Russian tabloids reported Thursday.  Nikolai “Kolya” Lukashenko, 16, has become a social media sensation as he has grown from a pudgy kid to an apparent “successor” to the presidency who is frequently…

An American performance artist has announced his intent to buy Vladimir Lenin’s embalmed corpse from Russia and move it to the United States. Georgian-born David Datuna shocked the art world after he ate Maruizio Cattelan’s $120,000 work titled “Comedian” — which consisted of a banana taped to a wall — at Art Basel in Miami…

Belarus’s opposition leader on Thursday said she was putting together a list of law enforcement personnel responsible for beatings and arbitrary arrests for possible future prosecution. “I urge the security forces to stop the violence and join the Belarusian people. If you do not, you will not escape a fair trial and punishment,” Svetlana Tikhanovskaya…

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was likely poisoned before he headed to an airport in Siberia and fell violently ill on a flight last month, not at the airport itself, independent news outlets and his team reported Thursday. Germany, where the Russian opposition leader is now being treated, said it has solid evidence that Navalny, 44,…

The global chemical weapons watchdog confirmed Thursday that it had sent experts to Germany to collect samples from Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and that results of tests for Novichok poisoning were “forthcoming.” Berlin had formally requested its “technical assistance” over Navalny’s alleged poisoning, the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said.…

Russia has confirmed 1,085,281 cases of coronavirus and 19,061 deaths. Sept 17: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 5,762 new coronavirus infections Thursday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 1,085,281. Russian health officials have proposed depriving medics of promised coronavirus payouts if they refuse to vaccinate against the infection, the Medvestnik medical news website has reported. …

Poland has taken the first steps to arrest three Russian air traffic controllers whom it accuses of provoking a fatal plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski in 2010, Polish media reported late Wednesday.  Polish prosecutors in 2017 accused the air traffic controllers of “deliberately provoking” the crash where 96 Polish officials including Kaczynski…

Berlin’s Charité hospital has returned a 1 million ruble ($13,300) donation for the treatment of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to Kremlin-linked catering magnate Yevgeny Prigozhin, his Concord company said in a statement Wednesday.  Navalny was flown to Germany two days after falling ill on a flight in Siberia due to what the German government…

Russia’s foreign intelligence chief on Wednesday accused the United States of protecting Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya and allocating $20 million to promote anti-government protests that erupted after disputed presidential elections. Sergei Naryshkin, who heads the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), said Washington had taken the former presidential candidate Tikhanovskaya and other activists “firmly under…

Relatives of Russian citizens will now be able to obtain simplified Russian visas valid for up to 12 months, the Russian government announced Wednesday. Currently, the spouses and children of Russian citizens can obtain visas that are valid for up to three months. The newly announced rules will allow the relatives to stay in Russia…

A convicted Russian neo-Nazi has been found dead in what appears to be a suicide inside his jail cell in the Urals region of western Siberia, prison authorities confirmed Wednesday. Maxim Martsinkevich, who went by the nickname Tesak (Russian for machete), was serving a 10-year sentence for a violent attack on synthetic cannabinoids dealers. Martsinkevich,…

Russia will sell 100 million doses of its highly touted coronavirus vaccine to India once final trials and regulatory steps are completed, Russia’s sovereign fund that is bankrolling the project announced Wednesday. India is one of at least 32 countries that have expressed interest in testing and obtaining Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine. Brazil, Mexico and…

Russian President Vladimir Putin maintains a higher level of global trust than U.S. President Donald Trump, according to the latest Pew Research Center poll published Tuesday. Respondents in 13 mainly European countries voiced the highest confidence in German Chancellor Angela Merkel (76%), French President Emmanuel Macron (64%) and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (48%). Putin…

Reindeer herders in Russia’s Arctic have discovered what scientists say is the first-ever cave bear carcass with soft tissues intact in the region’s rapidly thawing permafrost.  The Ice Age-era animal is believed to have lived between 22,000 and 39,500 years ago, Russia’s North-Eastern Federal University (NEFU) said in a statement Monday. Previously, the university said…

Moscow law enforcement authorities shut down a Tuesday night “Vulva 3.0” documentary screening in support of Yulia Tsvetkova, an LGBT activist who is being prosecuted for her drawings of female genitals. Tsvetkova, 27, faces up to six years in jail on charges of distributing pornography for posting drawings of vaginas on her social media page…

Venus is a “Russian planet,” the head of Russia’s state space agency said Tuesday following new research that suggests there could be life on the second planet from the sun.  The research, published in the journal Nature Astronomy on Monday, details British and American scientists’ discovery of phosphine gas in Venus’ clouds and puts forward…

Roman Shirokov, the former captain of Russia’s national football team, has been charged for violently attacking an amateur referee during a game.   Cameras last month captured Shirokov, 39, punching the referee in the face and kicking him after he fell to the ground curled over for not being awarded a penalty and getting a red…

A campaign fundraising ad for U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at rallying support for the country’s troops actually displays Russian-made military equipment, Politico reported Monday.  The digital “Support Our Troops” campaign that ran between Sept. 8-12 shows the silhouettes of three soldiers as fighter jets fly overhead.  “That’s definitely a [Russian] MiG-29,” defense analyst Pierre…

The head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service said Tuesday opposition leader Alexei Navalny showed no signs of poisoning before he was flown to Berlin for treatment and that Moscow had “questions” for Germany.  The 44-year-old lawyer and outspoken Kremlin critic last month fell severely ill on a flight from the Siberian city of Tomsk to…

One in seven volunteers have complained of side effects including weakness and muscle pain after taking Russia’s highly touted coronavirus vaccine, Russia’s health minister said Tuesday. Final clinical trials of the Sputnik V vaccine began in Moscow earlier this month amid questions over its long-term safety and effectiveness.  Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said more than…

Russia has withdrawn a rapidly formed unit of “law enforcement reserves” that had been standing by to intervene in Belarus if the country’s post-election unrest got out of hand, the Kremlin said Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Aug. 27 that he has formed the unit of law enforcement officers at the request of Belarusian…

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny said Tuesday that he is able to breathe on his own, his first public message since he fell into a coma after being poisoned by Novichok last month.  Navalny’s Instagram post shows him sitting hunched over on a hospital bed surrounded by his wife and two children. The Russian opposition leader has been…

Russia has confirmed 1,073,849 cases of coronavirus and 18,785 deaths. Sept 15: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 5,529 new coronavirus infections Tuesday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 1,073,849. Russian health officials have proposed depriving medics of promised coronavirus payouts if they refuse to vaccinate against the infection, the Medvestnik medical news website has reported. …

Prominent Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny plans to return to Russia as soon as he recovers from being poisoned, The New York Times reported Monday, citing a German security official.  News of the opposition leader’s plans follows accounts by Russian paramedics, reported by Reuters, that contradict Moscow’s theory that Navalny fell into a coma because of…

A competition for ideas to redevelop Lenin’s mausoleum on Red Square has been canceled less than 24 hours after its launch due to overwhelming criticism, its organizers told the Moskva news agency Monday. The Russian Union of Architects faced a barrage of criticism, mainly from the Communist Party, for calling on contestants to reimagine what…

Three newly registered political parties will be able to take part in Russia’s State Duma elections next year without collecting the required voter signatures, Central Election Commission chief Ella Pamfilova said Monday.  While the For Truth, New People and Green Alternative parties have varying ideological platforms, some analysts have linked their appearance to a Kremlin strategy…

Russian health officials have proposed depriving medics of promised coronavirus payouts if they refuse to vaccinate against the infection, the Medvestnik medical news website has reported.  President Vladimir Putin this spring promised monthly bonuses ranging from $300 to $1,000 for doctors and other medical professionals treating Covid-19 patients. Russian doctors have since reported being underpaid…

Alexei Navalny has been removed from his ventilator and is able to get out of bed, Berlin’s Charité hospital said Monday as the prominent Kremlin critic’s condition continues to improve after what Germany said was a poisoning by the Novichok nerve agent. Last week, Charité announced that Navalny had been taken out of his medically induced…

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to urgently shed light on the “attempted murder” of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, after French tests confirmed the use of the Novichok nerve agent, the Elysee said. Macron told Putin in telephone talks that it is “imperative that all light be shed, without…

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskya has criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to hold talks with “usurper” Alexander Lukashenko rather than the Belarusian people. Tikhanovskaya’s statement comes ahead of one-on-one talks between Putin and Lukashenko in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday. The talks follow a month of mass protests that broke out…

Online learning in the coronavirus era has affected the mental health of an overwhelming majority of Russian schoolchildren, according to a survey cited by the RBC news website Monday.  Russian schools went on a three-week holiday in mid-March at the start of the pandemic, switching to distance learning entirely as the number of cases spiked…

Three labs have independently confirmed that Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with the Novichok nerve agent, Germany said Monday, renewing calls for Russia to explain the incident. Germany said earlier this month it had “unquestionable proof” that Navalny, 44, was poisoned with Novichok when he fell ill after boarding a flight in Siberia on…

President Vladimir Putin on Monday backed embattled Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko and promised a $1.5 billion loan as the Belarusian strongman vowed to strengthen ties with Moscow. Lukashenko thanked Putin and vowed to stick closer to “elder brother” Moscow during one-to-one talks at the Russian president’s residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi that…

Russian President Vladimir Putin will encourage steps toward an “eventual succession” in Belarus but will not accept the opposition coming to power through street protests, Bloomberg reported Sunday. Moscow doesn’t trust embattled Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko but is “determined” not to see protesters topple his rule, Bloomberg cited five unnamed sources close to the Kremlin…

Allies of poisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Sunday they had secured city council seats in Siberia as independent monitors condemned a reported “stream” of voting irregularities in regional polls. In several dozen of the country’s 85 regions, Russians voted for regional governors and lawmakers in regional and city legislatures as well as in…

Riot police harshly detained more than 400 demonstrators in Belarus on Sunday as tens of thousands of people took to the streets, on the eve of crunch talks between strongman Alexander Lukashenko and his main ally, Russia’s Vladimir Putin. More than 100,000 people are estimated to have marched in Minsk on each of the past…

Russia has confirmed 1,062,811 cases of coronavirus and 18,578 deaths. Sept 13: What you need to know today Russia confirmed 5,449 new coronavirus infections Sunday, bringing the country’s official number of cases to 1,062,811. Nearly half of Russians say they will never vaccinate against the coronavirus regardless of its country of production, according to a survey cited by the RBC…

Russia plans to require long-staying foreigners to submit fingerprints and carry electronic migration cards as part of the country’s wide-ranging immigration reforms, the Kommersant business daily reported Friday. The Interior Ministry has drafted legislation requiring foreigners who intend to stay in Russia for more than 30 days to submit their fingerprints and other personal data,…

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus strongman Alexander Lukashenko, who is facing the largest protests of his rule, will discuss plans to further integrate their countries on Monday, the Kremlin said. Lukashenko’s visit will be the first to Russia by the Belarusian leader since protests broke out over his disputed election win last month. In…